SpeedBack ~ Chase Edmonds ~ Fordham Rams
5091/204
Regarding SpeedBacks
A couple Years ago, I dropped the term "FlexBack" and divided all HalfBacks into PowerBacks & SpeedBacks.
I've come to believe that any HalfBack that doesn't bring a Passing Game element to the BattleField is...incomplete.
Hence, the term "FlexBack" ~ although quite cool, I believe!! ~ short-circuits the Evaluation Process.
As to how I break them down, I expect that the terms are pretty self-explanatory:
PowerBacks ~ HalfBacks who do their best Work between the Tackles..
SpeedBacks ~ HalfBacks who do their best Work outside the Tackles.
The PowerBack prototype would be about 5115/220 or so.
The SpeedBack prototype would be about 5010/200 or so.
Those are gross oversimplifications, of course, and many HalfBacks will manifest Attributes of both styles. Indeed, Power and Speed ~ better yet: Agility ~ are crucial to the Success of either kind of HalfBack. But I believe that it advances the discussion and better serves my Fellow FootBall Fanatics if I make an effort to distinguish between types.
This is how I break things down, when evaluating all HalfBacks:
Power: Above all: Core Power. Upper body Power is important, but lower body Power, from the Knees to the Ribs, is absolutely crucial. An HalfBack's Capacity to break Tackles is more about Core Power than anything else.
Agility: Launch Velocity, Fluidity, Acceleration, and Ricochet. Long Speed is all well and good, but at the end of the day, it is Gravy. What wins Championships is Moving The Chains. And Moving The Chains is accomplished far more consistently by the guys who exhibit the Agility ~ and the Focus ~ to consistently pick up 5 and sometimes 10 Yards at a time.
Processing Speed: Diagnostic Velocity. Field Vision. That ethereal Capacity to Rapidly Read & React to the Rapidly Roiling & Boiling Tactical LandScape...and to foresee and envision Lanes developing before they actually do.
Blocking: Having an HalfBack who doesn't Block effectively is like having 10 Men on the Field of Battle. Most HalfBacks just coming out'f College are mediocre Blockers, but this is a crucial Aspect of the Game that they'll need to master.
Receiving: Whether he be a PowerBack or a SpeedBack, an HalfBack that can effectively present a genuine Threat in the Passing Game dramatically increases his Team's Options on any given Play. The more dynamic the Threat, the more valuable to'is Team on the Field of Battle, whether he's just slipping out'f the BackField or splitting out Wide.
Broken down into SubCategories, it'd go something like this:
Power
* Core Power is most of it. Tyrannosaurus Rex would've made an Hell of an HalfBack.
* Torso Power doesn't hurt, though.
Agility
* Launch Velocity
* Fluidity
* Acceleration
* Ricochet
* Long Speed
Processing Speed
* That ethereal Capacity to foresee and envision Lanes developing before they actually do.
Blocking
* Power
* Agility
* Combat Skills
* Processing Speed
* Motor
Receiving
* Separation
* Catch Point Capacity
* Navigation
I've come to believe that any HalfBack that doesn't bring a Passing Game element to the BattleField is...incomplete.
Hence, the term "FlexBack" ~ although quite cool, I believe!! ~ short-circuits the Evaluation Process.
As to how I break them down, I expect that the terms are pretty self-explanatory:
PowerBacks ~ HalfBacks who do their best Work between the Tackles..
SpeedBacks ~ HalfBacks who do their best Work outside the Tackles.
The PowerBack prototype would be about 5115/220 or so.
The SpeedBack prototype would be about 5010/200 or so.
Those are gross oversimplifications, of course, and many HalfBacks will manifest Attributes of both styles. Indeed, Power and Speed ~ better yet: Agility ~ are crucial to the Success of either kind of HalfBack. But I believe that it advances the discussion and better serves my Fellow FootBall Fanatics if I make an effort to distinguish between types.
This is how I break things down, when evaluating all HalfBacks:
Power: Above all: Core Power. Upper body Power is important, but lower body Power, from the Knees to the Ribs, is absolutely crucial. An HalfBack's Capacity to break Tackles is more about Core Power than anything else.
Agility: Launch Velocity, Fluidity, Acceleration, and Ricochet. Long Speed is all well and good, but at the end of the day, it is Gravy. What wins Championships is Moving The Chains. And Moving The Chains is accomplished far more consistently by the guys who exhibit the Agility ~ and the Focus ~ to consistently pick up 5 and sometimes 10 Yards at a time.
Processing Speed: Diagnostic Velocity. Field Vision. That ethereal Capacity to Rapidly Read & React to the Rapidly Roiling & Boiling Tactical LandScape...and to foresee and envision Lanes developing before they actually do.
Blocking: Having an HalfBack who doesn't Block effectively is like having 10 Men on the Field of Battle. Most HalfBacks just coming out'f College are mediocre Blockers, but this is a crucial Aspect of the Game that they'll need to master.
Receiving: Whether he be a PowerBack or a SpeedBack, an HalfBack that can effectively present a genuine Threat in the Passing Game dramatically increases his Team's Options on any given Play. The more dynamic the Threat, the more valuable to'is Team on the Field of Battle, whether he's just slipping out'f the BackField or splitting out Wide.
Broken down into SubCategories, it'd go something like this:
Power
* Core Power is most of it. Tyrannosaurus Rex would've made an Hell of an HalfBack.
* Torso Power doesn't hurt, though.
Agility
* Launch Velocity
* Fluidity
* Acceleration
* Ricochet
* Long Speed
Processing Speed
* That ethereal Capacity to foresee and envision Lanes developing before they actually do.
Blocking
* Power
* Agility
* Combat Skills
* Processing Speed
* Motor
Receiving
* Separation
* Catch Point Capacity
* Navigation
Chase Edmonds ~ Scouting Report
Power: 66. Very much in the manner of Romarius Smith, Chase Edmunds is short, but is by no stretch of the imagination either small or weak. His Core Power is tremendous, and while he won't knock too many Defenders on their asses, neither will he very often be knocked on his. He routinely breaks Tackles, and, unlike most SpeedBacks, can run it effectively between the Tackles. That is, needless to say, an enormous tactical difference maker.
Agility: 90. Mediocre Speed, but man, his Acceleration, Ricochet, and Fluidity are awesome.
Processing Speed: 33. Unfortunately, Edmunds exhibits extremely raw anticipatory read & react skills, often prematurely bouncing Runs outside, missing cutback lanes, mistiming pace, mistiming cuts, or just being a crucial tick late. He's actually pretty effective at navigating at the second level, but the first level is what Moves The Chains.
Blocking: 33. He's got the Core Power and a sufficient Motor, but his WingSpan is a little short, his Combat Skills are raw, and sometimes that Processing Speed costs'm when he's late to diagnose a Blitzer.
Receiving: 80. He wasn't featured, but he picked up a Pass, here and there, and looked awfully good. The Routes were simple stuff, but he ran them well, showing far better Field Vision and Instincts as a Receiver out in space than he generally does as a Runner, approaching the Line of Scrimmage. His Timing and Trajectory are terrific, his he's got tremendous Hands, and while he lacks Breakaway Speed, he's got tons of Power and Agility after the Catch.
Chase Edmunds ~ Prospectus
Chase Edmunds has Boom or Bust written all over'm: terrific Power, extraordinary Agility, and outstanding Receiving chops, the stuff that 1st Round Picks and Pro Bowls are made of...But if he doesn't find a way to dramatically improve his effectiveness in rapidly reading and reacting to Traffic, he may never play a meaningful Down.
And even that won't matter, if he doesn't also dramatically improve his Blocking.
Ceiling? Sky high!! Beast!! 1st Rounder. Edmunds is a slippery, explosive, and extremely dangerous Runner, every time he touches the Ball, and a dynamic Receiving threat. And unlike most SpeedBacks, he can effectively run between the Tackles, which is an enormous tactical Advantage over SpeedBacks who can only run effectively outside the Tackles. Therefore, we're talking about a guy who can potentially play any Down effectively as a top shelf Dual Threat.
Floor? 6 feet under!! UFA, baby!! All the Agility and Power in the world can't do you any good if you don't consistently rack up 3 to 5 Yards, and until he exhibits the capacity to consistently read and react quickly and effectively to the Tactical LandScape, I've got grave doubts that he'll see meaningful Snaps. And, yes: Even should he overcome that enormous Liability, his Blocking, too, must improve by leaps and bounds, if he ever wants to see the Field.
Risk/Reward Ratio? Pretty high!! Edmunds has a lot to overcome. The Blocking? Combat Skills can be learned, especially when the Player has such outstanding Core Power. But it's been my experience that slow Processing Speed is rarely cured. There is a spark of hope, mind you: Edmunds exhibits impressive Field Vision once he gets past the Line of Scrimmage ~ as a Receiver, too. So...maybe...And if all else fails, he might make it as a FlexBack, which is now my nomenclature for a 50/50 Run/Receive guy, a la Darren Sproles or my man Christopher Thompson.
Thank you so very much, Draft BreakDown, without whom my Work would be virtually impossible.
And even that won't matter, if he doesn't also dramatically improve his Blocking.
Ceiling? Sky high!! Beast!! 1st Rounder. Edmunds is a slippery, explosive, and extremely dangerous Runner, every time he touches the Ball, and a dynamic Receiving threat. And unlike most SpeedBacks, he can effectively run between the Tackles, which is an enormous tactical Advantage over SpeedBacks who can only run effectively outside the Tackles. Therefore, we're talking about a guy who can potentially play any Down effectively as a top shelf Dual Threat.
Floor? 6 feet under!! UFA, baby!! All the Agility and Power in the world can't do you any good if you don't consistently rack up 3 to 5 Yards, and until he exhibits the capacity to consistently read and react quickly and effectively to the Tactical LandScape, I've got grave doubts that he'll see meaningful Snaps. And, yes: Even should he overcome that enormous Liability, his Blocking, too, must improve by leaps and bounds, if he ever wants to see the Field.
Risk/Reward Ratio? Pretty high!! Edmunds has a lot to overcome. The Blocking? Combat Skills can be learned, especially when the Player has such outstanding Core Power. But it's been my experience that slow Processing Speed is rarely cured. There is a spark of hope, mind you: Edmunds exhibits impressive Field Vision once he gets past the Line of Scrimmage ~ as a Receiver, too. So...maybe...And if all else fails, he might make it as a FlexBack, which is now my nomenclature for a 50/50 Run/Receive guy, a la Darren Sproles or my man Christopher Thompson.
Thank you so very much, Draft BreakDown, without whom my Work would be virtually impossible.
Yank Rank: Contender ~ Par Value
| Market Value #134 | Yankee Grade 4th/5th Round |
Please do Note, Fellow FootBall Fiends: This and all CyberScouting Reports issued by this Site are produced by a ludicrously unqualified Amateur, privy to not even the tiniest fraction of Coach's Tape, Scouting Expertise, Face to Face Interviewing, Experience, or Inside Information enjoyed by the Professionals. As such, anything put forth is certainly misinformed, euphonious, derivative Tripe, and should be rejected out'f hand and indeed shunned by all men and women with even reasonable levels of intelligence or Good Will!! I'm trying to discern Power, Agility, Combat Skills, and far more abstract, esoteric Concepts such as Processing Speed and Motor, and Intelligence and Drive, and I'm trying to do so based almost entirely on a fascinating fusion of Tape, Combine Numbers, and Pro Days, while trying to attenuate my findings based on making Allowances for Competition Level, Scheme, Concept, Context, and, above all: Trajectory!!
Please also note, Fellow FootBall Fiends: These CyberScouting Reports are not intended as predictions of success or failure, but as assessments ~ ludicrously amateurish assessments ~ of potential success. FootBall is a rough and often unfair business, and many a worthy Prospect has fallen far short of his potential, sometimes not because of his own failings, but because of those of coaching, scheme, timing...or because huge investments were made on other Prospects.
In other words: If any of my Super Dooper Deeper Sleepers ever fail to fulfill their vast potential, I’m confident that it goes without saying that it wasn’t their fault…or mine!!...Yes, I think that I'm being funny.
In other words: Caveat Emptor, Fellow FootBall Fiends!!
Enter at your own risk!!
Please also note, Fellow FootBall Fiends: These CyberScouting Reports are not intended as predictions of success or failure, but as assessments ~ ludicrously amateurish assessments ~ of potential success. FootBall is a rough and often unfair business, and many a worthy Prospect has fallen far short of his potential, sometimes not because of his own failings, but because of those of coaching, scheme, timing...or because huge investments were made on other Prospects.
In other words: If any of my Super Dooper Deeper Sleepers ever fail to fulfill their vast potential, I’m confident that it goes without saying that it wasn’t their fault…or mine!!...Yes, I think that I'm being funny.
In other words: Caveat Emptor, Fellow FootBall Fiends!!
Enter at your own risk!!
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